Mauri Kunnas

(b. 11 February 1950, Finland)

Mauri Kunnas is a famous author of picture and children's books since the late 1970s, and is sometimes referred to as the Finnish Richard Scarry. His books, of which his 'Santa Claus' titles are the best known, are published in 17 countries, incluing the USA, England, Japan, France, Germany and Canada. He began his career as a cartoonist however, contributing to newspapers like Aamulehti, Suomen Kuvalehti, Turun Sanomat and Helsingin Sanomat. Between 1975 and 1984, he made the humorous rock 'n roll comic 'Nyrok City', which was collected in a book in 2000. He also made the newspaper strip 'Kotlant Jaarti' and editorial cartoons.